Most Common Causes of Food Poisoning

Getting food poisoning is the worst and can leave you in pretty bad shape, so let’s learn how to best avoid this intense illness. Eating contaminated food or spoiled food is the most common causes of food poisoning in the United States. You always hear on the news about food being recalled and you never think about the people who had to get sick first. These food recalls would never happen without a good amount of people getting sick before they figured it out. Lets figure out how we can avoid being the ones who get sick.

More than 76 million people will be affected by food poisoning each year and nearly 5,00 die from their afflictions. Meat and specifically beef are the leading causes but there are others that can be just as dangerous.

Bacteria, viruses and parasites are the most common causes of food poisoning as these microbials get on or in our food and we consume them. Experts agree that proper food handling and clean surfaces can reduce the numbers greatly.

Avoid these foods if you can and be aware that they are dangerous.

Pre-cut Fruit

The problem with pre cut fruit is that they get handled and processed by many people before the pieces hit your lips. That’s just too many opportunities to get some contaminations on them for me. Its best to just eat whole fruit or purchase and cut up the fruit yourself. Listeria is the most common bacteria found on pre cut fruit.

Raw Sprouts

Sure raw Sprouts are great on salads and sandwiches but did you know that there have been over 30 massive outbreaks of salmonella and E.coli over the past 20 years caused by infected sprouts. The process that these beans are sprouted in mass amounts is the reason they get so many outbreaks and recalls.

Raw Eggs

Did you know that Salmonella could live on the outside of an egg? Yes, so just handling a contaminated egg can spread the illness without actually eating any of the egg itself. It’s important to properly wash your hands after handling eggs and cook each egg fully. Salmonella and eggs are very common so just be aware and handle your food properly.

Unpasteurized Milk

You hear a lot of stories about people in areas like Vermont drinking unpasteurized milk, which is very dangerous. The process of pasteurization was created to reduce the number of bacteria and pollutants in cow’s milk, so why go against that grain? Stop drinking raw milk people, and be smart with what you put into your body.

Rare Meat

Sure, your steak may taste better rare, but that opens you up to more chances of getting sick. That steak may taste great going down but will be horrible when you throw it up later because you got sick.

Oysters

Oysters are hotbeds for bacteria, so buyers beware. The warmer waters around the globe are causing many more outbreaks of diseases and bacteria and oysters are carrying those into your body.